New deal cooking to sell Lee Roy Selmon's

The on-again, off-again sale of Lee Roy Selmon's restaurants is on again, this time with Outback Steakhouse founders Bob Basham and Chris Sullivan taking control of the six-store chain. OSI Restaurant Partners Inc., the chain's Tampa-based parent, has tried to sell Selmon's for a year, convinced a Southern-style menu with a Tampa Bay pro football star as namesake could not be stretched much beyond Florida. A deal led by unit president Peter Barli fell through in August. Selmon, a Hall of Fame defensive end with the Bucs, will remain a partner in the new ownership group.